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Washington State University suspended a continuing medical education course involving a video series on youth gender medicine after the accrediting body opened an inquiry following complaints from LGBTQ activists. A continuing medical education (CME) program is designed to help physicians and other health-care professionals maintain and update their medical knowledge, improve their skills, and enhance patient care. The course from the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM) offers "guidance on the benefits, risks and ethical considerations of medical interventions for gender-dysphoric youth." The series, derived from SEGM's 2023 international academic conference, addresses topics such as "transgender identities and the brain," "misconceptions in youth gender medicine," and the international debate around hormone treatments for gender-dysphoric youth. WSU approved the videos on June 2 after what SEGM said was a nine-month vetting process that found the materials met national accreditation requirements for scientific balance and educational integrity. TRUMP ADMIN SETTLES LAWSUIT, AGREES TO RESTORE DELETED DEI, GENDER HEALTH WEB PAGES Controversy erupted after transgender activist Erin Reed drew attention to the course on Oct. 29. On Wednesday, 31 LGBTQ activist groups released a letter urging WSU to revoke SEGM's accreditation, the Spokesman-Review reported. In 2023, the Southern Poverty Law Center designated SEGM as an "anti-LGBTQ hate group," a characterization SEGM strongly disputes as politically motivated and lacking evidence. After SEGM’s Oct. 21 press release drew attention to the CME series at WSU, Reed published a critical report from a guest author on the "Erin in the Morning" Substack on Oct. 29 labeling SEGM an "anti-trans hate group" and invited readers to file complaints with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), which accredits institutions such as WSU that offer these education courses for healthcare professionals to maintain their license. Dr. Graham McMahon, president of the ACCME, reportedly told "Erin in the Morning" that its characterization of SEGM "raises questions that appear appropriate for an inquiry." Other LGBTQ websites followed with critical reports targeting the medical school. Bluesky users identifying as WSU alumni expressed outrage and called for action, according to journalist Benjamin Ryan, who first reported on the fallout in a report for The New York Sun. WHITE HOUSE CELEBRATES LEADING MEDICAL EDUCATION ACCREDITOR FOR ENDING DEI REQUIREMENTS On Oct. 29, the same day the article was published, the university’s continuing medical education office suspended learning credit for SEGM’s CME series, according to an email obtained by Fox News Digital. The office told SEGM its team had been notified by ACCME’s complaints department that an inquiry into the course materials had been opened. The university said it was tasked with providing a response by Nov. 16 demonstrating how it approved the videos and was asked to suspend learner access to the videos while the investigation is ongoing. The videos remain available online for public viewing but health care professionals cannot earn CME credit. "I am very sorry about this situation — I’ve never seen anything like this from a national accrediting body," a director of the university’s continuing medical education office told SEGM. SUPREME COURT SKEPTICAL OF 'CONVERSION THERAPY' LAW BANNING TREATMENT OF MINORS WITH GENDER IDENTITY ISSUES Reed celebrated the decision, writing on Bluesky on Oct. 31, "I’m pleased to announce that following our reporting, multiple people have reported that a formal inquiry is being made into SEGM’s accreditation, and that the CME courses are at least temporarily pulled down." A SEGM spokesperson told Fox News Digital she was surprised by the speed of the inquiry. "We were perplexed by how quickly the ACCME acted to open an inquiry into the course — and by how rapidly it was suspended. The timing was striking: it occurred almost immediately after an activist published a blog post criticizing the course. That simply isn’t enough time to have meaningfully reviewed several hours of educational content for factual accuracy or compliance," the spokesperson said. "The course had been available for months without any intervention," the spokesperson added. "The sudden reversal suggests the process was driven more by external pressure than by a careful scientific review. We hope the ACCME’s formal investigation will now proceed in a transparent, evidence-based manner consistent with its own standards of fairness." THERE IS NOTHING COMPASSIONATE ABOUT PROVIDING SO-CALLED GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE WSU spokesperson Pam Scott said in a statement to Fox News Digital, "We are working with the ACCME to confirm that all accredited materials comply with ACCME standards. While this process is ongoing, course materials are suspended. We remain committed to providing high-quality, evidence-based Continuing Medical Education courses." ACCME spokesperson Ellen J. Sullivan said the organization cannot comment on "specific providers or activities that may be under review." She added that anyone with concerns about accredited continuing education may file a complaint with ACCME and that all accredited CME must be "based on current science and best available evidence" to meet ACCME Standard 1. At WSU, internal faculty responses have been divided. In a post on a WSU Senate discussion board, one faculty member voiced concern about how external educational partnerships with potential clinical and ethical implications are overseen and called for more oversight from faculty. By contrast, Dr. Erica Li, an assistant professor of pediatrics, wrote an open letter urging the university to support academic freedom. Li, who introduced SEGM to the accreditation team, described the organization as "responsible and evidence-based" in a field where standards of care are sometimes shaped by political motives. She urged the university not to bow to activist pressure. HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL POSTPONES 'TRANSGENDER HEALTH' COURSE AFTER LEGAL SCRUTINY The WSU dispute follows an earlier collaboration between SEGM and a McMaster University research team led by Dr. Gordon Guyatt, which in early 2025 published three systematic-review papers finding "low or very low" certainty of evidence that puberty blockers, hormone therapy and mastectomies improve overall well-being in gender-dysphoric youth. Following the publications, Guyatt’s team faced activist pressure and issued a public apology in August, according to The New York Sun. A SEGM spokesperson told Fox News Digital the controversy reflects an emerging broader trend across medical education, where "asking scientific questions in gender medicine is treated as inherently suspect." "Across the U.S., CME courses on youth gender dysphoria overwhelmingly present only one perspective," SEGM said. "Meanwhile, European health authorities in the U.K., Sweden, and Finland — after conducting systematic evidence reviews — have moved toward more cautious, psychotherapy-first approaches for gender dysphoric youth. Those developments have received almost no representation in American CME programs." They added, "SEGM’s course was designed to close that gap by giving physicians access to the full range of international evidence so they can make informed, ethical decisions for patients. Yet, while many CME programs contain unverified claims that go unchallenged, our carefully vetted course was singled out for scrutiny. That imbalance raises serious questions about whether ideology is shaping what doctors are allowed to learn — which erodes trust in the system and harms the already vulnerable population we all aim to serve." CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP The controversy comes after an HHS evidence review in May raised concerns about the benefits and risks of medical gender interventions for minors, drawing criticism from major medical organizations such as The American Academy of Pediatrics. Several children's hospitals across the nation, including Children's National in Washington, D.C., and Children's Hospital Los Angeles, have announced they are pausing transgender treatments or programs for minors following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January to restrict federal funding for "chemical and surgical" sex-change procedures for minors.
